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Moscow helpful information
« Last edited by ckmk47 on December 20, 2019, 10:41:03 AM »

Author Topic: Russia & Ukraine Master Thread  (Read 150310 times)

Offline moish

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Russia & Ukraine Master Thread
« on: May 05, 2010, 01:43:08 PM »
im thinking about going to russia and ukraine this summer. does anyone have any info regarding how to get there from tlv, which cities to visit etc? im thinking a few days in moscow, a few days in st petersburg, then fly to kiev, go to uman and mezhibuzh? anything else? does it make sense to rent a car in kiev? any idea about weather in the summer? any help/tips would be appreciated
« Last Edit: June 08, 2010, 05:09:23 PM by Dan »

Offline ChikkyMonkey

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2010, 02:20:48 PM »
From TLV to Moscow the cheapest fares are normally with transaero... it's worth checking some flight comparison sites to see what comes up, I find skyscanner.com to be very good.

Moscow and Petersburg are quite interesting. Both are nice cities... Petersburg is beautiful!! Nicer than many European cities. The Hermitage is a must. The shul there is one of the biggest in Europe and also very nice! Moscow has all the usual famous sites...

If you are lubavitch there are many other places of interest. The Village of lubavitch which is located outside Smolensk about a 6-7 hour drive from Moscow if I'm not mistaken.

Hotels in Moscow aren't cheap, and Petersburg I would suspect also being expensive.

In Russian and Ukraine I wouldn't suggest renting cars... Driving is a pain, you'll get lost and stopped by police... Best would be to arrange a driver to meat you in Borispol and take you to the places you want to visit. There is also the Alter Rebbe in Haditch and Berdichov (r' levi yitzchok...) Nyezhin is another....




Offline moe

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2010, 03:11:05 PM »
chikkymonkey, you dont sound like you are from afghanistan. you may want to swich the country lol!

Offline moish

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2010, 03:21:07 PM »
moe - lets stay on topic. btw did u get the email i sent?

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #4 on: May 05, 2010, 06:49:12 PM »
Ive been to Yalta... Its beautiful!

You have to take an overnight sleeping train in Russia/Ukraine for the full experience!

Offline mancunian

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #5 on: May 05, 2010, 09:51:43 PM »
You have to take an overnight sleeping train in Russia/Ukraine for the full experience!
that was a joke right :-\

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2010, 10:53:16 PM »
that was a joke right :-\

Partial joke - if you think you could handsle it - you should try it! I took the train from Kiev to Yalta... If I remember correctly it was about 23 hours.. :)

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2010, 01:19:20 AM »
Something I always wanted to do is taking the Trans Siberian from east to west. (Apparently you can go as far as Singapore !)
You need a lot of visas to do it though.

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #8 on: May 06, 2010, 01:36:36 AM »
i once did it in ukraine but never again - we didnt get first or the full room!

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2010, 06:04:00 AM »
so does anone have any tips/info?

Offline ChikkyMonkey

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #10 on: May 06, 2010, 08:41:07 AM »
If you say what you are looking for I can help...

Yalta is a very nice city... It's in the Crimea (a peninsula on the black sea) and there  are some nice cities and sites there.. keep in mind this trip won't be your average sightseeing trip, it'll be adventurous and interesting.

Taking the train is interesting, and an experience to remember, especially if you take the plutzkart (which is basically a cabin without seperate rooms... it's all open and has three beds on on top of the other (some have two..)

Russia, you need a visa for (if you're not carrying an Israeli passport) and for Ukraine you need a visa if you ARE carrying an israeli passport.

IF you are in a city in Russia for more than 3 days you have to register with the local authorities.. it's usually done by the hotel at which you are staying.
 
You can get some great Vodka souvenirs... Also the best Vodka in the world (in my opinion) and hasn't yet made it to the states is called Beluga... look it up!

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #11 on: May 06, 2010, 09:16:24 AM »
im actually going with a wife and 2 year old so im not sure train travel would work. the best pricing i can find for the flights which originate in tlv to visit moscow, st petersburg, kiev, and stopping in athens for a few days on the way back to tlv is around $850. is this normal?

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #12 on: May 07, 2010, 01:14:44 AM »
Athens, I'd stay 2 days at most, spend rather your time in st petersburg and moscow.
About greece, keep a eye on the news, its a balagan there now, as the economy is a "goyses" right now.

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #13 on: May 07, 2010, 05:53:55 AM »
Athens, I'd stay 2 days at most, spend rather your time in st petersburg and moscow.
About greece, keep a eye on the news, its a balagan there now, as the economy is a "goyses" right now.

thursday-shabbos then crete  for a couple days

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #14 on: May 08, 2010, 05:56:48 PM »
I was by s/o at home and the TV was on. The news was pretty much dominated by the Athens events. The parliament building was being attacked by the population, as salaries and retirement benefits have been lowered aggressively.

Please don't go there, not now.

Once again, I'm not the scared type, and made lots of crazy things already, but where a matzev is unstable and the people raging, its not a good time.

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #15 on: May 08, 2010, 06:34:11 PM »
i am the scared type but i would think that in 2 months it would be straightened out

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #16 on: May 09, 2010, 12:43:27 AM »
I was by s/o at home and the TV was on.

All good stories begin that way ;)

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #17 on: May 09, 2010, 01:33:04 AM »
Sounds good, although the only time I turn one on is when I'm on holiday. There is so much nonsense and ads on it that I thank the Lord for not having one.

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #18 on: May 09, 2010, 07:38:18 AM »
whats the story with antisemitism there? we usually wear a cap and dont get called out as jews on our trips but got a little concerned after reading this, http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/57158/Brutal-Murder-of-Yeshiva-Bachur-in-Kiev-[UPDATED-109PM-IL].html. can i safely assume that it was an isolated incident?

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Re: Russia & Ukraine Help
« Reply #19 on: May 09, 2010, 07:44:13 AM »
There are definitely people with anti-semitic inclinations... I have been to all places you mentioned with full garb and aside from lots of stares haven't experienced any problems... and I've been there for extensive periods of time....

Moscow and Petersburg are less of a problem in my opinion as there are very "western" and are use to seeing many tourists... I have friends living in all these places without problem.